Tempe's property-tax rate is the main point of disagreement between the candidates in a runoff election for an open seat on the Tempe City Council.
Community activist and challenger Onnie Shekerjian said she fears a 47 percent jump in property values in Tempe last year would hurt both homeowners and businesses.
The property-tax burden would increase unless the City Council cut the tax rate, she said.
"We don't want to be taxing people out of their ability to be homeowners," Shekerjian said.
The city's property tax rate is $1.40 per $100 of assessed value.
This compares to $1.04 in Scottsdale and $1.82 in Phoenix, according to the Maricopa County Assessor's Web site.
The assessor oversees state property-tax laws.
The rate could be lowered to about $1.21 while still funding future city improvements, Shekerjian added.
Incumbent Councilman Len Copple said the City Council should leave the tax rate alone until the Legislature takes action on bills that would roll back property value increases.
Cutting taxes would be unwise because at least a dozen planned city projects currently lack funding, he said.
These projects include a new fire station and a marina for Tempe Town Lake.
"We ought to have a rebate program rather than cutting taxes," Copple added.
Copple and Shekerjian will compete for an open council seat in a May 16 runoff election, which is after the spring semester ends.
Incumbent Councilman Ben Arredondo and challenger Shana Ellis won two other open seats in the March 14 primary election.
Both Copple and Shekerjian said they would campaign by walking through neighborhoods and talking to voters, mailing out brochures and posting signs.
Both candidates also said they would raise about $20,000 for the runoff election.
Copple said he won two past runoffs in 1998 and 2002 by continually working hard.
"I'm going to keep on rolling again and win in the general election," he added.
Student activists are also getting ready for the May election.
Efforts encouraging student turnout in the runoff would target those who already voted in the primary, said Undergraduate Student Government President Corinne Widmer.
"Those students will be most likely to vote in the May election as well," Widmer said.
Pushing students to cast early ballots is important since many people will likely be out of town during the election, she said.
USG will promote the election through mass e-mails, a new Facebook.com group about the runoff election and convincing the candidates to speak at an April 12 tuition rally, Widmer said.
"It will remind people that there is an election coming up," Widmer added.
Reach the reporter at grayson.steinberg@asu.edu.
